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Taiwan Quick Take

■ Election
Campaigning starts today
Campaigning for the presidential election officially starts today, after the Central Election Commission formally announced the names of the two presidential tickets yesterday. The commission also announced that the official campaign period for the March 20 poll will continue until March 19; campaign activities will be allowed between 7am and 10pm daily. The two tickets, in the order they were drawn, are President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) of the Democratic Progressive Party, and Lien Chan (連戰) and running mate James Soong (宋楚瑜) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-People First Party alliance.

■ Politics
Japanese lawmakers visiting
Japanese lawmakers will travel to Taiwan in several groups in the coming weeks to observe the March 20 presidential election, an official with the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Japan said yesterday. Two independent members of the Diet, Yoshihiro Kawagami and Tetsushi Sakamoto, concluded a three-day fact-finding visit to Taiwan on Thursday, the official said, adding that three other Diet members will make visit Taipei next week. The official said the week before the election will be a peak period for the visits. According to the official, the Japanese media has given prominent coverage to the election and referendum. Asahi Television, for instance, will broadcast an interview with President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) within the next day or two.

■ Environment
Water providers fail tests
According to a recent tests performed by the Environmental Protection Administration, four companies providing water to bottled water companies in Miaoli, Pingtung and Nantou counties failed to meet water-quality standards. The agency said all four failed to meet the government's requirements because of the level of coliform bacteria found in their water. It had randomly sampled 350 out of 520 water providers and found that only four had problems. The agency pointed out, however, that its test had focused on the water sources of the companies and that bottled water was not necessarily unhealthy. Local health authorities have been commissioned to improve water-quality management.

■ Health
Credit card linked to hospital
Credit card companies are keying in on medical services as a means of attracting consumers. The Shin Kong Group along with the Cosmos Bank Taiwan are planning to launch a new credit card in March that will offer consumers free 24-hour medical consultation with experts from the Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital as well as giving card holders priority in scheduling appointments with doctors at the hospital. The card holders would also be able to undergo comprehensive health examinations free of charge. "With the National Health Insurance system, it's hard for hospitals to turn a profit. It is necessary to open up new markets," said Shin Kong Hospital deputy director Hung Ching-fu (洪清福). A spokesman of the Department of Health said that the marketing of medical services was a trend that had been expected, and that the department was discussing the possibility of establishing relevant policies.

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